Introduction:

Any form of diabetic retinopathy can be accompanied by the presence of diabetic macular edema. The use of statins in patients with diabetes mellitus and diabetic macular edema has been suggested as a therapeutic measure.

Objectives:

To describe, in a general way, the treatment of diabetic macular edema and, particularly, some outcomes obtained with the use of statins.

Methods:

A relevant literature search on the subject was carried out in the first half of 2019. Review and research articles published in the last ten years were assessed, taken from different databases, such as PubMed, Cochrane, SciELO, as well as from web pages, written in Spanish, Portuguese or English. Pubmed, Google and Google Scholar were used as engines for searching scientific information. The following keywords were used: diabetes mellitus, tratamiento [treatment], estatinas [statins], and edema macular diabetic [diabetic macular edema]. Articles that did not meet the objectives of the present work were excluded, which allowed the study of 87 articles, of which 57 were referenced.

Conclusions:

Strict glycemic control and confronting modifiable risk factors in patients with diabetes mellitus represents the most important measure to avoid and reduce the appearance and progression of diabetic macular edema. When established, appropriate or specific treatment should be used. The use of statins could be an important complement for the prevention and treatment of diabetic macular edema.

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